Winter riding

[Peder Torgersen]

I have been commuting on my Sofrider the winter here has been mild so far.
We did get snow early in November but I had some vacation at that time.
The snow melted when my vacation was over and we did not get more snow.
There have been some ice on the roads in a few mornings.
This is so far one of the mildest winters I can rembember.
I use winter tires with studs and it has functioned nicely.
I have used cycle shoes so far usually when it gets cold and slippery I use boots.
I usually use boots this time of the year.
I have commuted in winter for many years.

The Sofrider is not an ideal winter ride but much better than I had expected.

 

[Charles.Plager]

I've thought about doing similar things.

 

[ratz]

Don't forget the wool socks .... wet cotton is not your friend.

 

[super slim]

Don't forget the wool socks .... wet cotton is not your friend.

Or even better are New Zealand socks, that Scots even buy!!!
http://www.groundeffect.co.nz/collections/socks/products/foot-soldiers-merino-summer-liner-socks

 

[Peder Torgersen]

January was milder than usual we had snow once that lasted 2 days.
It was not necessary to shovel that snow since it was a very small snowfall.
Average temperature was 1.9 °C, 3.7 °C above the normal.

Commuting has been easier this season compared to some of the other previous winters.
I am now using boots.

Today I shoveled snow for the first time this season.
There was not much snow but it was wet and the weather forecast for next week is colder weather.
February is usually a month we get snow and sometimes considerable amounts of snow.

 

[billyk]

Or, build or buy a fairing. No need for wool socks, feet are dry. Hands are dry. It's a whole lot warmer, too. I commute every day in rainy Seattle and a fairing is what makes it possible. See photos and build instructions in this post from a couple of years ago.
https://www.cruzbike.com/forum/threads/new-homemade-fairing-for-quest.6959/#post-106959

 

[Charles.Plager]

Or, build or buy a fairing. No need for wool socks, feet are dry. Hands are dry. It's a whole lot warmer, too. I commute every day in rainy Seattle and a fairing is what makes it possible. See photos and build instructions in this post from a couple of years ago.
https://www.cruzbike.com/forum/threads/new-homemade-fairing-for-quest.6959/#post-106959

I'm still waiting to see what this look like after you make a tailbox and a sock.

 

[billyk]

Hi Charles. I think you'll wait a long time! I have no need for either. The fairing is quite adequate - well, if it pours I'd get wet - but it handles the usual Seattle drizzle with aplomb. It also goes on and off in a couple of minutes.

What I would like is a foldable or rollable fairing that I could carry on the back for changing weather.

Also an improvement would be blown-plastic construction. Those get stiffness from the 3-d curvature, whereas my homebuilt one needs a relatively thick main piece to be stiff. Blown plastic can often be rolled. I'd spring for the $500 for a professional fairing but I haven't seen one that is just right.

One important lesson from mine is that the bulky and awkward mounts you see on pro fairings are unnecessary. Mine are simple and light and totally adequate (see the post linked to above). I have several thousand miles on mine, including a couple of dumps, lots of time in strong winds, without any problem.

BK

 

[Peder Torgersen]

I had a fairing on my Sofrider a few years ago.
It was a Streamer the downside for me was the winter riding.
We get snow and ice and the fairing would make some noise from all the vibrations.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/sykkel-bent/albums/72157622710241741

The fairing that billyk made is very nice.

We finally did get some snow here and I took a little over a week off from commuting.
I am getting older and my wife didn’t need our car.
I started riding on Thursday not very good conditions in the morning but my wife needed our car.
Last weekend I was able to cross country ski but this weekend the snow is melting.
Now since we have mild weather again the roads again will be completely free of snow and ice.

Our Winter might be over it has been the best winter for commuting that I can remember.